This week, the initial plan to resume obstetrics services at WLMH was shared with site staff and physicians.
Starting January 12, 2021, mothers in labour will be able to deliver their babies from Tuesday morning until Friday afternoon at WLMH. Births outside of these hours will be delivered at another nearby hospital. Those details are still being worked out and will be shared as soon as they’re confirmed.
The service resumption will be assessed on an ongoing basis to determine if and how it can be sustained and expanded. Factors which will be considered include the availability of staffing and the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in the community. The goal is to build the service up to provide as much coverage as possible, as long as its sustainable from a staffing and resourcing perspective to do so.
“Obstetrics services at WLMH are very important to families in West Niagara, and it is very good news that safety upgrades at WLMH funded by the Government of Ontario will enable the program to continue. We’re grateful to our staff and physicians who have made this program resumption possible, and to our partners for their support during this period. Recruitment is ongoing for additional operating room staff needed to expand the services in a sustainable manner,” said Dr. Michael Stacey, EVP Academic and Chief Medical Executive, Hamilton Health Sciences.
Obstetrics services offered at WLMH were temporarily redirected earlier this year to allow for critical safety upgrades in the site’s operating rooms. Functional operating rooms and sufficient operating room staffing are required to provide a safe environment for after-hours and overnight births, in the event that emergency surgical procedures are needed during a delivery.
Scheduled c-section births have been taking place at WLMH since the operating rooms reopened in September.